Hanuman Goes to Loveland, Colorado: CHAPTER FIVE

All of our bronze statues have been done in America's most highly regarded community of bronze artisans, in Loveland, Colorado, about 90 minutes north of Denver. We are fortunate to have the most skilled artists.

When last we left Hanuman, the 65 molds had been shipped to Page Bronze. Here Kathy Page took over. She made wax copies of Holly's 65 molds, perfect copies that would be used in the famed lost wax method of casting molten metals.

In all 29 craftsmen and women went to work and in about 8 months created the new masterpiece--a 13-foot-tall bronze Hanuman that is stunningly beautiful. He is a perfect copy of the stone Hanuman in form (well, Holly did add lots of refined details), and like the stone He will last for 1,000 years and more.

Today Hanuman stands in a workshop in rural Loveland, shining with a golden glow. But, as Chapter Six will reveal, that golden radiance is about to be transformed!

Sadasivanathaswami flew to Loveland in September to see the progress at the workshop of Bobby and Kathy Page.

they are an amazing couple. They have worked side by side for 40 years, each year happier than the last. Each is an expert in a different part of the artistic process. Together they have created thousands of works. And ridden thousands of miles side by side on their bikes through the land.

Wonderful discussions about our projects.

Rajkumar Manickam makes the visit of Paramacharya and Yogi Rajanatha possible.

Earlier, Bobby and Kathy visited the monastery.

Kathy shows us the Hanuman molds. You can see that she has taken Holy\

s solid molds and added layers and layers of black wax, creating a perfect copy.'

The wax is about 1\/8 inch thick, so quite vulnerable to shape changes.

It has to be handled ever so carefully.

Keeping track of all those parts is also a job.

Are you sure these are all going to fit together properly?

This is the nimbus on the back of Hanuman\

s head. '

Bobby unveils the bronze of Iraivan Temple done in earlier years.

It came to Kauai for a while, but now is back in Loveland where it will be welded to Hanuman\

s left hand. '

these are the metal copies of Kathy\

s was pieces. Right from the casting company.'

Bobby, Kathy and Holly get a brilliant idea. They like the nimbus so much, they make a secon copy of it for the monastery and ship it as a gift. It will be settled in a special corner of the Media Studio. It is about 30 inches wide.

Bobby polishes the raw metal which reveals its true golden hue.

MADD CASTING is the place where our wax becomes metal. Enter the world of molten metals.

The bronze is heated by electricity in a cauldron.

And then poured into the molds they have made using Kathy\

s wax.'

The metal forms cool on a bed of special sand.

It\

s hot work, and a bit on the dangerous side. '

The special molds are preheated so the addition of really hot metal will not break them.

Molten bronze goes into a container to be hand-carried to the mold. These are really heavy.

As they pour into the mold, they melt the wax, which runs out. The space that the was held is replaced by liquid metal and when it cools, there is a 1\/8\" metal copy of the wax.

The owner explains the process to the monks.

These are ingots of the metal they use for their castings.

He shows the process of creating the heat-resistant form.

Almost 2,000 degrees!

The two craftsmen tilt the cauldron to fill the form.

Making the forms requires lost of strange things!

After the metal cools, the forms are taken out back and broken away from the metal.

Not a delicate process!

The end result is 65 molds that will have to be welded together.

The color changes when Bobby gets hold of it.

Janus?

A special dinner bringing all the artisans together.

Debbie Bakel is our patineur, she did all the patina work on the Silpi Pavilion statues. Stay tuned for Chapter Six.

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